[I run] about 50 miles every week. Add a copios amount of lap swimming ...

I thought about this old post when I read today that running more than about 20 miles a week -- or any comparable endurance exercise such as my decades of all-out sports more days than not -- not only negates any benefits it may give us, but may actually shorten our lives due to cumulative heart calcification and carcinogenesis (presumably due to its long-recognized immune system suppression).

Check out today's WSJ article at
http://tinyurl.com/c5w22tb for more details.
"One Running Shoe in the Grave" starts out with "scientific evidence ... concludes that running can take a toll on the heart that essentially eliminates the benefits of exercise ... Running too fast, too far and for too many years may speed one’s progress toward the finish line of life ... [but] the benefits of running may come to a hard stop later in life. In a study involving 52,600 people followed for three decades [that's a BIG study], runners ... had a 19% lower death rate than nonrunners ... those who ran >20 to 25 miles a week—lost its mortality advantage."
and goes downhill from there.

They've know for decades that high mileage running destroys our immune systems, but this puts numbers on and draws more attention to that threat. The media are notorious for distorting health research news, so I intend to read more about this to see whether my recent switch to far more efficient strength and endurance conditioning can stall that threat, or is it too late for me to affect the process?

Wow! That's three marathons per week! To think they've known for decades that ONE marathon measurably suppresses our immune system for 6 to 18 months ... not even counting its impact on our joints and the pugilistic dementia (permanent boxer's punch-drunkenness), due to shock, revealed in autopsies of high-mileage runners.

I've run an average of 30 steps a week, for the last 6 years.
Seems torn tendons at the top of the foot precludes my running skills.
Most weeks, all 30 running steps are done on a tennis court, but some sets, no running whatsoever for doubles.

I'm in your camp. I run only when chasing a ball or the guy carrying it, and my last ball game was roughly 35 years ago. There are FAR too many much safer and much more fun ways to get much better exercise, but since the heart threat mentioned here apparently applies to any form of sustained, significant, endurance exercise, it deserves our attention whether we run or play to fill our square.

(On a personal note, I've cut my gym time by 95% through working smarter and harder but far more briefly, but is the fact that I'm still improving my fitness going to bite me?)

It's accepted that in all activities where you train to excess and continually run yourself into deep exhaustion for prolonged periods, the immune system becomes depressed, and you will probably fall ill. There may also be long term consequences. Modern coaching methods allow for recovery and recuperation periods, and off season relaxation to prevent long term damage to the body.

I find that windsurfing falls mainly into the stamina range, and not the continual maximum output category. If all of a day long session is at maximum effort something must be wrong. Most windsurfers I know get maximum satisfaction when everything is 'just so', and they are in control. The days of chasing extreme gales were never much pleasure, and were damned hard work, as well as being dangerous. We had an experienced windsurfer drowning on our coast just a few weeks back, when he tackled severe conditions once too often, and was overwhelmed. It made us realise how vulnerable we really are at such times.

There is a wealth of knowledge to show that long term fitness and health is vastly improved by working long and hard at any activity PROVIDED you are aiming for stamina, and not sustained maximum power output. In cycling for instance we use the zone method. After establishing your maximum heart rate by a build up to maximum sustained effort to the point of near collapse, the various zones are calculated as a percentage of that maximum heart rate.(Zone 1 at 60/65% of max to zone 5 at 89/94% of max.) You can then ride all day mostly in say zone 3 for building and maintaining long term stamina. That's probably how it works for most of us in windsurfing also.

The way I see it exercise should be enjoyable, not self inflicted punishment. I see runners all the time who appear to be punishing themselves by the look on their face. If it does'nt feel good don't do it. As with everything else moderation is the key. I used to run, but it started to bother my ankles and knees, now I walk briskly 4-6 miles a day. I find I do not have the stamina that I had 20 years ago when I spent at least an hour a day in the gym. Back then I could sail all day, at least for six hours before I would call it quits. This was on a vacation in the Gorge. I never lifted heavy, but did lots of reps and sets. Lifting heavy never felt right, and the old saying no pain no gain just does'nt work for me.

After a rotator cuff injury two years ago I stopped going to the gym, and now I tire much more quickly. My shoulder is nearly 100% now with no surgery, and think I will renew my membership at the gym. Sports should be invigorating, not debilitating, so just don't over do it. Listen to your body. No more running with the dog who I tripped over.

We use a similar workout for our QB's. It is part of our weight room EDDs for QB's. Only use 3-5 lb dumbells. Any more weight and your bigger, stronger muscles take over so you don't end up exercising your rotator cuff muscle.

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